National Intelligence Director John Negroponte said Monday the jihad in Iraq is shaping a new generation of terrorist operatives, but rejected assertions, stemming from a leaked intelligence estimate, that the United States is at a greater risk of attack than it was in 2001. "We are certainly more vigilant. We are better prepared," Negroponte said. "We are safer." Negroponte's words came at a dinner at Washington's Woodrow Wilson Center after the weekend disclosure of a high-level National Intelligence Estimate. The document gave new fervor to an election-year debate about how the Iraq war has affected national security threats. “We are safer” did you take that to mean you? Government and selected Elite have all Bunkered themselves in, and that is what he meant by the “we.” Notice they didn’t build you a Bunker, in fact, you are the cannon fodder that the people they made enemies of will have to go through first, and that makes them saver. Or so they hope ... http://www.msnbc.msn.com

Paul Volcker, who halted a wage and price spiral as Federal Reserve chairman between 1979 and 1987, warned that U.S. inflation rates are ``creeping up'' and pose a danger to the overall economy. ``I am a little bit more worried about inflation,'' said Volcker, 79, speaking at a discussion sponsored by the Women's Economic Round Table in New York today. Gerald Corrigan, who served as New York Fed president from 1985 to 1993, said he shared Volcker's concerns. While the inflation rate isn't ``high'' or ``running away,'' Volcker said, ``it is kind of creeping up, and I am impressed by the degree of pressure, if that is the right word, psychological pressure, political pressure, there is not to do anything about it.'' Volcker's comments come as the Fed under Chairman Ben S. Bernanke, 52, has held interest rates steady at the past two meetings after previously raising rates 17 consecutive times to contain price pressures. ...http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=aYnJF7iLrZn8&refer=worldwide_news

A private US space rocket which blasted off from a site in New Mexico malfunctioned before it reached space, organisers have said. SpaceLoft XL launched at 1414 local time (2014 GMT) from Spaceport America, a desert launch site. But it veered off course at an altitude of about 12,190m (40,000ft) and crash-landed in the desert. The rocket was due to carry about 50 items into orbit, including cremated remains and school science projects. The reason for the failure of Monday's launch is unclear. Launch co-ordinator Tracey Larson told AP news agency it was possible that the rocket and its payload could have survived the crash. SpaceLoft XL is built by UP Aerospace, one of several private firms vying to open up cheaper public access to space. ...http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/5377958.stm

Beijing municipal authorities have shut down more than 50 schools for the children of migrant workers during the past two weeks in preparation for the 2008 Olympics, a U.S.-based human rights watchdog said on Monday.Human Rights Watch said the closures were part of a campaign to close all unregistered schools for migrants by the end of September and threatened to leave tens of thousands of children without access to education. The campaign appears designed to discourage migrants from staying in the capital, the group said. In mid-September, city officials discussed expelling a million migrant laborers from Beijing for the duration of the Olympics, it said. "Beijing is spending over $5 billion to prepare for the 2008 Games, yet at the same time it's denying a basic right to migrant workers' children, most of whom are unable to access state-run schools,"...http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory?id=2490416

Mexican President-elect Felipe Calderon on Monday slammed U.S. plans to build more fences on its southern border, saying it would not solve illegal immigration."We are worried ... about the actions that the United States is discussing concerning building a border wall and tightening restrictions on migrants," Calderon said after meeting with Mexico's foreign secretary.The U.S. Senate is debating legislation to build 700 miles of fence on the U.S.-Mexico border along with other security measures, which the House has already passed....http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2006-09-25-mexico-border_x.htm?csp=34

TIME: Why do you attack President George W. Bush with such jolting language?CHAVEZ: I believe words have great weight, and I want people to know exactly what I mean. I'm not attacking President Bush; I'm simply counterattacking. Bush has been attacking the world, and not just with words--with bombs. When I say these things I believe I'm speaking for many people, because they too believe this moment is our opportunity to stop the threat of a U.S. empire that uses the U.N. to justify its aggression against half the world. In Bush's speech to the U.N., he sounded as if he wants to be master of the world. I changed my original speech after reading his.TIME: But doesn't your rhetoric--referring to Bush, for example, as an "alcoholic"--risk alienating potential allies?...http://www.time.com/time/magazine/printout/0,8816,1538655,00.html